Croatian technology group Rimac is producing 48,000 sets of battery systems for the BMW i7 every year, according to a new account of how Chinese battery makers once lost out in Europe. The company combines BMW's sixth-generation cylindrical cells with its own fifth-generation module technology to deliver ready-to-install systems for the German flagship — placing a supplier from Southeastern Europe at the heart of one of BMW's most prestigious electric programmes.
The scale of the contract underlines what Mate Rimac has come to represent for his home country: evidence that an internationally competitive technology business can emerge without the industrial advantages traditionally associated with the world's automotive powers. For the wider Adria region, the implication is that serious battery-system engineering — not just contract assembly — can be built from a standing start.
The timing is favourable. The EU's emerging 'Made in Europe' plan is unnerving global auto suppliers: cars imported from Japan would not qualify for EU subsidies, while models built in France, Portugal and Eastern Europe would benefit only if enough of their parts come from Europe. EastAutoNews has already reported that the blueprint could hit Asian and African partner markets, and the latest details show why carmakers are under pressure to anchor component value — batteries above all — on European soil. Suppliers with proven, localised, high-volume production, as the Rimac-BMW arrangement demonstrates, sit on the right side of that divide.
Croatia's automotive momentum extends beyond the supply chain. Spanish car brand Ebro has entered the Croatian market, introducing four SUV models and opening its first sales and service centre in Zagreb — a sign that the country is drawing manufacturer attention as well as supplier investment.
For Eastern Europe's supplier base, the Rimac case sets a benchmark: regional engineering can win tier-one contracts from premium German OEMs, and the policy push for European content is likely to make such partnerships more valuable, not less. The open question for the Adria region is whether the i7 battery contract remains a one-off or becomes the first of many.
For all the industrial manoeuvring, the outcome reaches the road as product — including premium electric saloons of the kind Rimac now equips. Buyers and dealers in the market for a vehicle can find sensational cars at sensational conditions at WorldTrader24, Europe's marketplace with over 70,000 vehicles, where a wide range of electrified models is in stock.
